Print ads, like TV, exist at the very heart of the advertising enterprise. Hence, seeing their numbers decline sharply is an ugly indicator.
According to Publishers Information Bureau data released late Tuesday, magazine advertising pages fell almost 26 percent in the first quarter.
“We are currently in the middle of a period of steep deterioration in ad expenditure,” the report said. “Many are treating advertising as a discretionary expense, and one they find convenient to cut.”
The biggest decline was at U.S. News & World Report, down almost 69 percent, to 72 ad pages, followed by Condé Nast Portfolio, down 60.9 percent. On the flipside, the National Journal is up 42.1 percent to 185 pages, and Fitness is up 28 percent to 199 pages.
[via The New York Times]
